be successful in all directions

How panicked was Yang Zhao?

He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, with a thorn in his back, unable to sit or stand still. Any such phrase would not be an exaggeration to describe him at this moment.

Gao Yuan went without saying; the two sides had already formed a grudge during the battle of Puer. Coupled with Gao Yuan's continuous expansion of territory through southern and northern expeditions, his ambition had long been plain for all to see.

Now that Gao Yuan had been promoted, wouldn't it be terrible if he suddenly decided to use Yang Zhao's head as a sacrificial offering for his celebratory flag?

As for the newly appointed Military Governor of the Jiannan Circuit, Song Ren, he had already sent people to threaten and bribe Yang Zhao when he was serving as the Governor of Yingzhou, wanting him to give up his position as Local Chieftain and move inland to Luoyang to live as a wealthy but idle commoner.

It would be fine if only one side made a move, but he feared both sides would send troops at once. With his small stature and meager strength, he wouldn't be able to withstand it!

The Yang Family had been entrenched in Bo Prefecture for a hundred years, reaching its peak after his father seized Dian Prefecture, Wumeng, Qian Prefecture, Tongren Prefecture, Zhenyuan Prefecture, and other places.

By the time it reached him, he had become a regional hegemon and overlord, possessing six prefectures, a population of over five hundred thousand, and an army of fifty thousand.

He had once fantasized about unifying the Southwest and becoming the true King of the Southwest.

However, the battle of Puer had completely shattered his illusions.

For the first time, he felt his own lack of strength—a very significant lack.

He became even more uneasy, especially when the spies planted in Dehong sent back the latest news.

He was well aware of the strength of the Great General of Western Kang, Commander Li Jie, and the southern army of Western Kang.

After all, those were prefectures adjacent to Dian Prefecture. Several years ago, when his ego was extremely inflated, he had harbored designs on Lijiang and Dali.

At that time, he had deployed thirty thousand soldiers and twenty thousand laborers.

The final result was that less than half of them managed to flee back in disgrace.

He hadn't expected that just a few years later, Li Jie would be defeated and killed, and Lijiang and Dali would change hands.

When a person loses their sense of direction, they like to ask those around them.

On this day, Yang Zhao gathered the elders of the clan and the tribal headmen, speaking of his troubles without reservation.

"Now we are caught between Song Ren and Gao Yuan, and our situation is extremely dangerous. Do you all have any clever plans?"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay, thinking with bewildered expressions,

"Isn't this a problem you, the Local Chieftain, should be considering? We just want to maintain our current good life."

Seeing that no one spoke, Yang Zhao sighed.

"You all should know that because of the Puer incident, Gao Yuan and we have a long-standing enmity;

That Military Governor of the Jiannan Circuit, Song Ren, has also long wanted to use us to establish his prestige. Now he is watching us like a hawk, wanting to use our heads as gifts for the new Emperor's enthronement;

In this moment of life and death, I hope you will not have any reservations and will offer me more suggestions."

Seeing Yang Zhao speak so seriously, someone finally couldn't help but speak up.

"In my humble opinion, the Local Chieftain might as well play both sides and deal with them superficially. Perhaps both sides will offer many benefits in order to win us over."

"Heh, that's quite a rotten idea you've come up with."

Another old man, adorned in gold and silver, interrupted the previous speaker, a disdainful smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"Playing both sides—I'm afraid that in the end, we'll please neither, and the result will be dying without a place for burial."

"Then what do you suggest? Should we surrender to one side?"

"Exactly. I've heard that those Local Chieftains who surrendered to Gao Yuan even had their land and slaves taken away in the end."

"How ignorant. I heard that Gao Yuan exchanged refined salt and white sugar businesses for those lands and slaves."

"I heard that too. It's said that the Mu Family is now immensely wealthy."

"So what if they are immensely wealthy? Without soldiers and horses, they'll just be at the mercy of others in the end."

"Even if you were given soldiers and horses, so what? Could you stop those elites under Gao Yuan's command? Could your subordinates stop Xia Luqi?"

Like opening a sluice gate, everyone began to argue eloquently against each other.

For a moment, the entire meeting hall of the Local Chieftains Office was filled with noise, nearly lifting the roof.

Watching this scene, Yang Zhao's headache worsened.

He had originally just wanted to consult with them, but who would have thought it would lead to internal discord, with the group faintly splitting into three factions.

Gradually, the faction supporting playing both sides to reap benefits gained the upper hand.

After all, regardless of which side they surrendered to, it would be a life of depending on others' whims. How could it be as comfortable as their current lives?

Yang Zhao also seemed to have found the answer he wanted. He slapped the table to stop everyone's arguing.

"I have decided. We have six prefectures, hundreds of thousands of people, and an army of fifty thousand;

We are also familiar with the terrain. Even if the Jiannan Circuit attacks with a hundred thousand troops, we have the confidence to put up a fight;

So, even if we are to submit, it should be after they take the initiative to offer a price, and then we will wait for the best offer."

His reasoning was sound and measured, and most people nodded in agreement.

However, Yang Zhao's next words made everyone uneasy.

"But now that we face pressure from two sides, the troops in my hands are ultimately not enough;

I hope you all can consider the bigger picture and contribute some of the tribal soldiers you hold;

Rest assured, I swear here that these troops are only borrowed, and I have absolutely no intention of embezzling or forcibly seizing them."

The group of old foxes felt as if they had been swindled. They even suspected that Yang Zhao's purpose today was to swallow up their private soldiers.

In fact, they had completely misunderstood Yang Zhao. He had also suddenly realized that he could take this opportunity to annex these powerful figures.

Next, the old geezers who had just been split into three factions arguing over which path to take were now split into two factions once again.

Yang Zhao's direct subordinates naturally hoped to gather more troops and people from the others.

Meanwhile, the collateral branches of the Yang Family certainly wouldn't honestly hand over the trump cards in their hands.

A matter like this couldn't be resolved in a short time, so Yang Zhao could only temporarily set it aside.

But the matter of showing goodwill to both sides could be done immediately.

The next day, Yang Zhao sent messengers with gifts to Dehong and Chengdu.

Gao Yuan was not at all surprised by Yang Zhao's gesture of goodwill; it was all within expectations.

The Nanzhou Army was growing stronger and had just wiped out thirty thousand Western Kang troops. Its momentum was currently at its peak, and it was temporarily unrivaled in the Southwest.

Gao Yuan looked at the letter, then at the gift list, and then at the messenger.

"The Yang Family is a great family of several hundred years; these gifts are a bit too shabby, aren't they?"

In fact, they weren't really shabby. Over a thousand catties of copper ingots was quite a significant amount of wealth.

However, Gao Yuan's characteristic was naturally that he could never get enough advantages, and he also couldn't possibly form an alliance with Yang Zhao.

If they allied, how would he have a reason to eliminate Yang Zhao?

Although Dehong was good, it was adjacent to Toungoo and lacked strategic depth.

He had already set his sights on a good place: Guchang County, the administrative center of Dian Prefecture, which was where Kunming would be located in the future.

But he certainly couldn't be so blunt, as that would make it look like he was suspicious of causing trouble.

The messenger looked up and stole a glance at Gao Yuan.

"Please instruct us, Commandery Duke."

"When Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess came to the Southwest, she passed through Dian Prefecture and once stayed briefly in Guchang County;

She has always been deeply nostalgic for the beautiful scenery of Guchang County and Diannan Marsh;

So, I wonder if Local Chieftain Yang could part with Guchang County to serve as the Princess's residence;

Rest assured, I won't take it for nothing. I will take full responsibility for the defense of Dian Prefecture for you, Local Chieftain Yang, and only charge ten thousand dan of grain annually for military expenses. How about it?"

The messenger was stunned. He had seen thick-skinned people before, but never someone this thick-skinned.

What residence for the Grand Princess? What helping with defense? Wasn't this just saying they wanted to occupy Dian Prefecture?

"The Commandery Duke must be joking. Guchang County is but a small county town in a frontier region. How could it catch the eye of Her Royal Highness? Moreover, Diannan Marsh often suffers from floods..."

"Heh..."

Gao Yuan would not give him the chance to continue.

"It seems Local Chieftain Yang does not welcome Her Royal Highness and has no respect for her at all..."

As Gao Yuan spoke, he looked up toward the door.

"What do you say, Your Highness?"

Zhao Xiyao walked to the main seat next to Gao Yuan and sat down, leaning against him.

"I think so too. I shall write a letter to my Imperial Brother."